Something Came Up
by Dolphingirl32173
Summary: After the death of Vicki, Damon realizes that Elena is the doppelganger he truly wants, and devises a plan to subtly win her away from Stefan. Will Elena figure out what he's up to before it's too late? And how will Stefan deal with how Elena is spending her free time? Damon/Elena
1. The Plan

Something Came Up  
>DG32173<p>

Sarah: the title for this popped in my head a split-second before a nearly full plotline. I hope everyone enjoys what my mind gave me nearly instantaneously. Now to just get it all down and worded properly.

_**CREDIT**_  
>Credit goes to my outstanding beta for his remarkable patience with the extended dry spell my muse went through. I'm hoping this will be ample reward for all that patience, Cameron!<p>

_**DISCLAIMER**_  
><em>Vampire Diaries<em> and the cast belong to L.J. Smith. Mystic Falls and the setting belongs to the CW. Any references to music, movies, TV shows, books, TV stations, etc, are most likely references to things found in the _real_ world and as such belong to their respective copyright holders. If I use something that _I_ made up personally or was suggested to me by my beta or a reviewer, I will put a section like the above and say what belongs to who before the chapter it appears in. There's you're disclaimer. You're not getting another.

_**ALTERNATE UNIVERSE, PLEASE READ!**_  
>This fanfic takes place between 1x07 <em>"Haunted"<em> and 1x08 _"162 Candles"_. So post dead Vicki and pre dead Lexi. Lexi does _not_ die in this universe, by the way. Damon has his own plans for getting the secret council to settle down that do not involve Lexi.

_**WARNINGS**_  
>Other than the alternate universe stuff listed above, rated with a big fat <em><span><strong>M<strong>_ for thoroughly mature content in the future. Alternating Damon and Elena viewpoints. Starts with Damon's view.

_**SUMMARY**_  
>After the death of Vicki, Damon realizes that Elena is the doppelganger he truly wants, and devises a plan to subtly win her away from Stefan. Will Elena figure out what he's up to before it's too late? And how will Stefan deal with how Elena is spending her free time? <em><strong>DamonElena**_

* * *

><p>Chapter 1<br>The Plan

I sip at my glass of blood as Elena's words from two nights ago race circles around my mind as well as every reaction I've had towards the human since our _true_ first meeting.

"_It matters and you know it!"_

I have to agree that she's right in that there _is_ something that has come to matter to me. Something that matters even _more_ than the goal I've had for nearly a century and a half now. And that something is the human who bears a remarkable resemblance to my sire. Every time I get within inches of her, sparks of electricity fly between us, and I know _damn_ well she feels it to. But when I touch her, even if it's just through her _clothes…_ well, the sparks of electricity turn to raging flames consisting of the desire to get even _closer._ Again, I know damn well she feels _that_ as well. She's always been _just_ as reluctant as I am about pulling away from each other.

Two nights ago, I was filled with raging bloodlust to sate the Craving and Elena had been covered in her own blood when I showed up. What _should_ have been going on within me was a raging war to keep from sinking my fangs into her to drain her dry. What _was_ going on within me was a far different war, the war to keep from pulling her into my arms and showing her everything she's been missing out on while dating my brother. She would _not_ have appreciated that in the least, though she would have enjoyed it just as much as I would have.

She fights this bond that has somehow kicked up between us. Her head has an _entirely_ different opinion of me than her heart does. I can tell _that_ much by what I've read in her journal. She may claim to hate me. But every journal entry she has written since my little game with her the first time she came to the boarding house was more about me than everything else combined, even on the days I didn't make a blip on her radar.

And as much as I have tried to fight it, I'm finding that our bond is something that I can't just shove on the back burner. It's grown too damn powerful and it's still growing stronger by the day, whether I let her see me that day or not. I have _never_ had a bond like this with _anyone_ in my life, not even my brother before Katherine entered our lives.

I sigh when my brother walks in the front door. "What are you doing here, Damon?" he asks. "Don't you have some diabolical plan or other to work on?"

I smirk, keeping my back to him as I stare into the flames. "Maybe I'm just considering my options of what to do next," I reply, the most honest I've been with him in more than a century. "After all, every diabolical plan can meet a stumbling block even the maker doesn't expect. Mine has and I'm considering what I should do about it."

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" Stefan demands.

"Stefan, you're my _little_ brother. You know _damn_ well I don't have to explain _anything_ to you that I don't want to. And I don't want to reveal my hand to anyone right now. So run along. I'm sure you have homework or something to do. After all, you're in high school. _Again._ Just don't forget what happened the _last_ twelve times you attended high school."

I proceed to ignore him completely. I take another sip from my glass of blood. I vaguely make out that he's saying something but since I'm ignoring him completely, I only make out the hum of his voice. When he _finally_ gets the hint that I'm ignoring him, he leaves the living room. Just as I'm about to fall back into my thoughts, a _very_ familiar car engine pulls into the boarding house driveway. I suppose I _should_ have paid at least a _little_ attention to baby bro. He was probably making threats about what he'll do to me if I tried something against Elena when she showed up.

No way I'm letting _him_ know that I could _never_ bring myself to do anything to _hurt_ her physically. I decide to take a seat in my favorite chair and wait for her to come waltzing in like she owns the place. Which she does _right_ on cue, not even bothering to knock. "Elena, to what do I owe the pleasure?" I ask with a smirk.

Rather than ignoring me and heading to the library where Stefan is, she comes straight for me. The scowl on her face tells me that this is _not_ a pleasure visit. _"What_ did you say when you compelled my brother the other night?" she demands.

I take a sip of my blood. I had been wondering when she'd get up the nerve to confront me about that. "I did what you asked of me, Elena. I took away his pain," I tell her.

"That shouldn't … he is …," she stammers, aggravation causing her train of thought to stumble rather than flow smoothly. She sighs angrily, running a hand through her hair. She glares at me. "He has been acting _very_ differently since you messed with his mind, Damon," she snaps. "I want to know _what_ your compulsion on him was, _exactly."_

No way in _hell_ I'm giving her _that._ Not with _Stefan_ in the house oh-so-obviously listening in. I frown at her. "You wanted his pain to be taken away, Elena," I remind her. "You wanted him to forget that night happened. I _did_ that. If he's acting differently now, well, did you ever stop to think what the _side-effects_ of taking his pain away would be?"

"Side-effects?" she asks in confusion.

"Newton's third law of motion applies to more than just _physical_ actions and _physical_ motion. 'For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.' Every action we take, whether it's physical or not, puts into motion a _reaction_ to that action. I acted to take away Jeremy's pain through compulsion. He is now exhibiting the reaction to that."

She licks her lips as she thinks about what I told her and my eyes fall to her perfect mouth. Everything in me is demanding that I pull her in my arms and kiss her senseless. But I _can't._ For one, she's infatuated with my brother and he just so happens to be right down the hall. That's when my new diabolical plan hatches: _Elena Gilbert_ will be _mine._ I have never had the reactions I have to her with anyone else, not even Katherine. And I know just what to do to win her into my arms.

"You know, St. Stefan's right down the hall in the library," I tell her, though I would rather eat my favorite jacket than watch her walk down there. She nods but hesitates. "Whatever you want to say, you can just spit it out."

She purses her lips briefly before speaking. "Thank you for taking care of my brother, Damon," she says.

"No problem. Now you should get moving. Your darling boyfriend is grinding his teeth over how cozy we seem to be getting," I tell her, sipping at my blood. It literally pains me to watch her walk down the hall towards the library but I know damn well she'll soon be mine. I won't let this one slip through my fingers.


	2. The First Time I Said It

Something Came Up  
>DG32173<p>

Sarah: here's chapter 2. I hope everyone enjoys. This chapter is told primarily from Elena's view.

_**REVIEW REPLIES**_

_zikae218:_ oh, Damon's going to get the girl. And he's going to be _extremely_ sneaky about it.

_PattyFleur87:_ yes, I am _finally_ back. And you _still_ make me blush when you say you are addicted to my stories. And I'm _sure_ you are going to love how Damon gets the girl!

_nallemorin:_ so glad you enjoyed. Here's the update.

_Candy Momo:_ I'm glad you like the thought of where this is heading. Here's the next chapter.

_jairem:_ Damon thought of Jeremy because he was more than a little worried what would happen to Elena if anything happened to Jeremy.

_mary-bash-mash:_ thank you! Here's the update.

* * *

><p>Chapter 2<br>The First Time I Said It

I sigh as my body instinctively relaxes before I force myself to tense. I don't even have to _look_ to know who had just sat down on the stool next to me at the bar in The Grill. "What do you want, Damon?" I demand. Sure, I'm grateful his compulsion on my brother prevented Jeremy from doing anything stupid out of grief. Doesn't mean I like the vampire any more than I did before he offered his services for the act.

He chuckles. "I came to get a drink and find _you_ sitting on my favorite stool. I'm not gonna cause a scene just to get my favorite seat in the bar, particularly not when _you're_ the one sitting there," he replies.

I look up from my burger and fries to frown at him. "You have plenty of alcohol in the boarding house, why do you come _here_ for a drink?" I ask irritably.

He shrugs as the bartender slides a whiskey glass filled nearly to the brim with bourbon across the bar to him. Rather than answering, he sips at his bourbon. I sigh and turn my attention back to my meal. When I'm finished, I find that I don't really want to move. And that's because of who is sitting next to me. "You know, you were right the other night," he says softly.

I turn to him in surprise. There's no way I could not understand what he's talking about. But I have to make _sure._ "What do you mean?" I ask.

He's staring at his bourbon as if the whiskey holds all the answers in the universe. "There is something that matters to me," he admits, his voice still soft.

I frown. "And that is?" I ask.

He raises his eyes and the look in them makes me _really_ glad I'm sitting down because my legs have just turned to Jell-O. "Maybe one day I'll tell you," he says. "This is a very personal matter and I don't discuss personal issues with just _anyone._ I mean, we aren't even friends, are we?" he asks. I shake my head. "We could _try_ to be, though." I open my mouth to speak but nothing comes out. He shrugs. "I'll tell you this much: I haven't had anyone _I_ would call a friend in a _very_ long time."

I frown. "And you want _me_ to be a friend?" I ask dubiously.

"I said we could _try_ to be. Whether we succeed or not is something else altogether," he says, his lips curved in that familiar smirk that makes me want to both slap him _and_ kiss him. "I've realized that since I came back to town this time, my priorities seem to have shifted on me without my realizing it until we were standing in the bus lot the other night and you were pointing out that something _has_ come to matter to me."

"I don't know if I can trust you," I say softly.

He shrugs. "You trusted me with your brother," he points out. "I know enough about you to know that it's hell for you to trust _anyone_ with your family. And yet you trusted me with your brother."

I bite my lip nervously as I realize he's right. I sigh. "What is it you want from me?" I ask him.

"Let's just start off with seeing if we _can_ be friends," he says smoothly. "I'll tell you this much: I have _never_ broken my word when I gave it in my very long life. I will give you my word here and now that from this moment forward, I will do _nothing_ to harm someone you care about, much less harm _you._ In fact, I'll go so far as to do my damnedest to protect you and your loved ones. All I'm asking in return is a chance to become friends with you. I give you my word, if we succeed at becoming friends, you will be my first friend since before I turned. Katherine stole my last one from me and turned us against each other. This is the first time I've felt like trying to take such a leap of faith in all the years since."

I gnaw on my lip while I contemplate what he is saying. Finally I sigh. I can't very well refuse him a chance at gaining a friend. I meet his eyes. "I'll try to be your friend," I tell him. Something flashes in his eyes but it's gone too fast for me to determine what it is. "Don't make me regret this, Damon."

He tucks a cool finger under my chin, his expression the most serious I have ever seen it. "Don't make _me_ regret placing my trust in you, Elena. I haven't trusted anyone since the whole Katherine ordeal. It took me a good deal of thinking and debating with myself before I decided I could handle taking the risk with you. I don't give very many second chances and only my brother has ever received further chances than that because he _is_ my brother." Then the seriousness is gone, replaced by wicked good humor. The cool finger is gone from my chin and I find myself wishing it were still there. "Now, since we're trying to be friends, how about a game of pool?"

"You'll cheat," I tell him, wrinkling my nose.

"No I won't," he retorts. "I'll make you a bet."

"What sort of bet?" I ask.

"I bet that I can beat you two out of three games of pool with just the skills of the average person rather than using my abilities. If I win, I get to take you dancing tomorrow after you get out of school."

"And if _I_ win?" I ask.

"If _you_ win, I'll tell you a secret about me that not even _Stefan_ knows. I'll also let you choose what we do tomorrow after you get out of school. Do we have a deal?" he asks, holding out his hand.

I think about it. Do I _really_ want to risk having to go dancing with Damon tomorrow? But the thought of learning something about Damon that not even _Stefan_ knows about his brother, well, that's too good to pass up. "Fine," I say, shaking his hand. "No special abilities. You gave me your word."

"Of course I did, and I'm not going to break it. Now let's go grab a pool table before the afternoon rush fills the place up," he says, sliding off his stool.

I get off my stool and follow him to the pool tables. It isn't long before he has me laughing my ass off at his nearly limitless supply of jokes. I keep a firm eye on him throughout our game and see that he _is_ giving me his best game _and_ that his best game is being done with strictly human skill. I actually beat him the first game. "You _let_ me win," I accuse as he fetches the balls from the pockets to reset the rack.

"No, I didn't," he assures me, his eyes twinkling wickedly. "You're a good pool player, Elena. As I promised, I'm keeping my special abilities out of this. And I can assure you that you're _not_ going to win the next two games."

"We'll just have to find out if that's true or not," I retort.

It's true he does beat me during our second game and he is _very_ close to beating me our third game when I feel my phone vibrate in my back pocket, signaling I had gotten a text. I had been leaning over to line up my shot. I groan but stand up and reach in my back pocket to pull out my phone. The litany of curses that fall from my lips at seeing that I have sixty-two voicemails _and_ a text from Stefan is strong enough to send Damon's eyebrows racing for his hairline. "I _completely_ forgot that I promised Stefan I'd meet him at the library," I tell Damon. I glance at my watch and grimace. "Library's closed now," I sigh. "Let me call him and apologize then we can finish our game." I search Stefan's name on contacts and hit send before putting my phone to my ear.

It only takes six rings this time for Stefan to pick up. _"Elena?"_ he asks.

"Hey, Stefan. I'm _so_ sorry about tonight," I tell him.

"_Where were you?"_

Yeah, so _not_ going to tell him I was hanging with his brother these past couple hours he was supposed to be tutoring me. That will send _all_ the wrong signals. "Something came up and I _completely_ lost track of time," I say. "Anyways, I'm not gonna be able to make it tonight."

"_Well, there's always tomorrow afternoon,"_ he says brightly.

I wince. "Actually, I already have plans for tomorrow," nothing concrete, mind you, but still there, "but maybe Wednesday." It's Monday now.

"_Okay, we'll try for Wednesday,"_ he says hesitantly. _"Do you mind if I ask what you plan on doing tomorrow?"_

Seriously, Stefan, I can't _handle_ your jealous fits. It was bad enough when you got jealous of what little time I spent with Damon when I didn't even _like_ him. Now that I've agreed to _try_ to be friends with him, that jealousy is going to become vicious. "Just hanging with a friend."

"_Bonnie? Or Caroline?"_ he asks curiously.

I frown. "Neither. They aren't my _only_ friends, just my _best_ friends. Now, if you'll excuse me, I was in the middle of something when your text reminded me that I had completely lost track of time. I'll see you tomorrow at school. Goodnight, Stefan."

"_Goodnight, Elena."_

I hang up. I turn an exasperated smile on Damon. "Sorry about that," I tell him. "I hope you don't mind, but I don't want him finding out that I skipped our tutoring session because I got distracted while hanging out with you."

"I understand completely," he assures me, his eyes twinkling merrily. "You don't want to suffer through his jealousy. I'll keep my lips zipped about tonight."

"Thank you," I say gratefully.

"Anyways, it was your turn. You're going to have to pull off some power plays to win _this_ game," he reminds me.

"Game's not over _yet,_ hotshot," I tell him, bending down to line up my shot. In the end, Damon _does_ win the game, though I _do_ come from behind to make it damn close, so close as to see who could sink the eight ball first. So our plans for tomorrow are set in stone: dancing. Damon then walks me out to my SUV like the perfect gentleman. "I have to admit, I had a _lot_ of fun tonight," I tell him with a warm smile. "More fun than I've had in a _really_ long time. Thanks, Damon."

He winks at me. "Perhaps we can make our relationship a positive one after all," he says.

Something about the twinkle in his eyes and the way he curls his voice around the words 'our relationship' puts me on edge. If there's anything I have learned about Damon it's this: he _never_ does something without a _damn_ good reason for it. I should have seen earlier that there has to be a reason for his decision to come up to me today and give voice to what I now realize was a _perfectly_ rehearsed speech designed _specifically_ to get me to agree to try being friends with him.

"What are you trying to pull, Damon?" I ask. "If there's one thing I know about you, it's that you don't do something without having an ulterior motive."

He doesn't even _pretend_ to be hurt by my accusation. "You gave your word to try to be friends with me, Elena," he says softly, seriously. "Are you going to go back on it? Because if you do, you will be _no_ better than anyone else that's ever given their word to me. And that includes _her."_

No need for him to name-names when there is only _one_ female in the entire history of the planet he could be referring to: Katherine Pierce, his sire and first love. "I'm not Katherine," I tell him softly, earnestly. "I already told you that. I'll keep my word. And I'll hold my end of our bet tonight and let you take me dancing tomorrow. But, as I said earlier, don't make me regret this attempt to be your friend."

"You won't regret it," he vows. "Goodnight, Elena."

"Goodnight, Damon," I reply.

He steps back, giving me space to unlock my SUV and climb in. I wave at him and he waves back. He watches me as I pull out of the parking lot of The Grill. I glance in my rearview as I reach the stoplight at the corner and he's _still_ watching me.

An hour later finds me in my bed with my journal in my lap. I've had a bowl of soup for dinner and did my nightly routine. Now I have to write this evening down. I write down the date and begin my journal entry.

_Dear Diary,_

_My thoughts have been consumed with Damon since the night Vicki died. But it was completely __impossible__ to keep him off my mind today. And then he decided to sit down right next to me at The Grill. He made the comment that I had chosen his favorite stool at the bar and he wasn't going to make a scene to get me to move._

_I decided to ignore him and finish my burger and fries. But even after I had finished my meal, I couldn't find it in myself to move away from him. Then he spoke, saying that I was right the other night when I said that something mattered to him. He hinted that whatever has come to matter to him has completely derailed him from whatever his original reason for coming to town this time was. I tried to find out what that was but he pointed out that we're not even friends and that it was a very personal issue. Just as I was feeling angry that he would bring something like that up but not tell me, he said that we __might__ be able to be friends._

_I was hesitant at first. I mean, how can I trust him after all he's done? But then he pointed out that I trusted him with Jeremy. It was very unnerving to realize that he was right. I don't even trust __Stefan__ with my brother. If Stefan had been able to put the compulsion on Jeremy, I would have insisted on being in the same room as he did it. But I didn't even __think__ about being there when Damon placed his compulsion on Jeremy._

_So I agreed to try to be his friend. He made me a bet based on the outcome of three games of pool. The bet was that if he won two out of three games, he gets to take me dancing tomorrow after school. If __I__ won, I got to learn a secret about him that not even Stefan knows and I got to choose what we do tomorrow after school. The possibility of learning something about Damon that not even his own brother knows was too much of a temptation to pass up. I agreed, __completely__ forgetting that I was supposed to meet Stefan at the library so he could tutor me in history. I won our first game, he won the second. He was way ahead of me in the third when I got a text from Stefan. I hadn't __heard__ my phone ringing and when I looked at it, I saw that Stefan had left me sixty-two voicemails and a text. Does Stefan have a thing for voicemail or something? Anyways, I called him and even though he was obviously worried about my not showing up, it still took six rings for him to answer. I apologized for not showing up. I told him "something came up". That's the first time I said that to him. But I have a funny feeling I will say it to him many, __many__ more times and that "something" will always be Damon._

_Well, after I got off the phone with Stefan, having given vague answers as to whom I will be hanging out with tomorrow, I returned to my game with Damon. I came from behind and the game was a damn close match, so close it came down to who could sink the eight ball first. Damon won, which set our plans for tomorrow as dancing._

_It was only after Damon had walked me to my car and was saying that perhaps our relationship could be a positive one that I remembered that he never does anything without having an ulterior motive. It was the strange look in his eyes and the way his voice just curled around the words "our relationship" that set me on edge. I asked what he's up to; he didn't even pretend to be hurt. But he didn't answer my question. He just reminded me that I had given him my word that I would try to be friends with him. He told me that if I went back on it, I was no better than anyone else who had given him their word, and he made sure to make it clear that Katherine was also on that list. I told him that I would hold true to my word. I also told him that I would hold up my end of the bet we made and let him take me dancing tomorrow. I also told him that he better not make me regret this. He told me that I won't in such a way that I am damn sure he was making it a vow. Then he wished me goodnight and backed up so I could get in my car._

_He watched me drive off. I even looked in the rearview at the stoplight and he was still watching me. Something about the way he was acting tonight has me on high alert. What is he up to? Why is he suddenly so intent on becoming my friend? There has to be something in it for him. Something more than just having a friend for the first time since Katherine put the brothers at each other's throats. But for the life of me, I can't figure it out. Numerous times tonight I've caught a strange look in his eyes that sent butterflies spiraling in my stomach. I have never seen such an intense look in someone's eyes when they looked at me. It made my knees go weak and my heart start hammering in my chest. Every time I saw that look, I swear my eyes got wills of their own cause they immediately went to his lips. But I can't do that. I can't get between the brothers like Katherine had. What is up with that look? What does it mean?_

_Elena_


End file.
